Almost all residential drug and alcohol rehab programs require random alcohol and drug testing of its guests. Here’s the first reason why: a guest needs to be clean and sober during their stay at the rehab facility if there is any hope of recovery. Another very important reason is the safety of other guests and staff at the facility.
[Yet another reason is that court-ordered “drug rehab” implies that the facility guarantees that the defendant isn’t continuing to abuse alcohol or drugs. In this case, drug testing ensures legal compliance.]
Some rehabs will clearly state on their websites that they conduct drug and alcohol testing. Most of these will say that it is done at “random” --however there are two other common non-random times that most facilities do drug testing: initial screening and post-incident.
The initial drug and alcohol screen establishes a baseline for any residual drug (or its measurable metabolite) still in the guest’s system. Some substances remain in the user’s system for an extended period of time. It wouldn’t make sense to do the first drug test a few days after the user arrives at the facility, get a positive reading, then remove the guest from the program for violation of its clean and sober policies.
The post-incident drug or alcohol testing is given whenever any staff member (or fellow guest) believes that someone might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The four types of testing most common at residential drug rehabilitation programs are urine (most common drug test), Breathalyzer (most common alcohol test), saliva (also known as oral fluid-based testing), and blood (least common, with the exception of rehabs in a medical setting).
Urine testing is the most popular because it is the least expensive form of drug testing (Breathalyzers are the cheapest form of testing for alcohol). Another reason many rehabs may use urine testing: if the guest challenges the results of a positive test, the rehab can package the urine and send it to an outside lab for independent analysis.
To get the most accurate results from urine testing, rehab staff (of the same gender) must “watch” the guest produce the sample. The reason for this is that there has been a long history of people trying to alter their urine test by concealing another person’s urine and discreetly putting the specimen in the collection cup. Another increasingly popular method of altering the urine sample is to add a chemical adulterant to the urine. Most drug testing labs have the means of testing the urine for any adulterants; most rehabs do not have this ability on-site.
If the idea of having someone observe you while giving a urine sample makes you uncomfortable, you should talk to the rehab center staff before making your reservation. Refusal to give a drug test (for any reason) can be grounds for immediate dismissal (and usually without refund) from the facility.
Saliva (oral fluid based) testing is not as common as urine testing due to expense, but this form of testing is becoming more popular because it is less “invasive” and the sample cannot be adulterated. If properly administered, the results are as accurate, and in some cases more accurate, then urine testing.
Blood testing for drugs and alcohol is usually rare expect for medical rehab facilities. The reason: phlebotomists, nurses, or paramedics are necessary to safely take a sample of blood from the guest.
Most people understand the necessity of alcohol and drug testing to ensure compliance to the program’s standards, and safety to all other guests and staff. Anyone who has been through prior drug rehab, detox, and/or corrections won’t be all that surprised when they are handed their first specimen cup.
Rehab websites could do a much better job of explaining their policies and procedures regarding drug and alcohol testing. This detail should be followed up by rehab staff prior to starting the admissions process to minimize misunderstandings.
Home drug testing...
You or your loved-one may establish random drug-testing at home as part of the terms or conditions of an ultimatum (or family intervention). There are plenty of sources of drug testing kits and supplies for anyone to buy from drug stores and over the Internet. Most are for urine samples, some allow for saliva testing. Most allow for immediate testing results at home, others offer the option of sending a sample to a lab. For the test to be worthwhile it must truly be random (or anytime there is a suspician of drug or alcohol use), it must test specifically for the drugs that the person might be taking, and it must be free from the possibility of sample-switching or tampering (with adulturants) as mentioned above.
Outpatient or third-party drug testing...
Go to this blog article for more information.
Wikipedia article on drug testing
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